UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Hi
We just got PR and are planning our relocation.
Have any further/adult ed teachers from UK experienced finding similar work in Canada? I teach English to 16+ (GCSE, A level, FS, Access, ESOL, you name it. And a bit of maths on occasion...)
i am currently having my quals (PGCE for post-compulsory education and training) checked out by Alberta province. They asked if I'm registered with SET in UK. I'm not as no college I've ever worked for here required it and it's expensive. I have asked Alberta if being registered with SET is a requirement but they haven't got back to me (that was a few weeks back).
Do I need to fork out and register, or even do the QTLS, does anyone know?
thanks for any advice!

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

It's a long time since I taught in England ........... and SET did not exist then. Nor am I in Alberta, so I have no idea what having or not having SET means to them.

Do you have a university degree (BA, BSc, etc) followed by an education diploma or a degree in education?

Most education authorities over here require one of the above.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Thanks for this. I have BA Hons English Lit, PGCE (PCET), and some other random stuff such as Cert TEFL and a CIPD Level 5 in HR Management (which I did for the adult training/coaching/mentoring relevance). I don't have QTS as I don't work with U16s in schools. I've taught for about 12 years (second career).

I notice you're in BC, I'd be interested to know what their policy is as it's another province we're considering (currently targeting Alberta as it's cheaper...)

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Not sure if this Wiki articles covers qualifications, but might be useful reading - https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Teaching_in_Canada

HTH.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Thanks Christmasoompa, I hadn't come across that before and it's useful.
This says teaching in Canada is a non-starter for expats which is disheartening...however I don't do school teaching, I'd be looking at adult ed/alternative provision such as community colleges. Hoping someone can tell me the picture is more encouraging in that sector..? I have previously worked with learners who have 'multiple barriers to learning' in alternative settings. There isn't usually much of a waiting list of teachers wanting to work those jobs here, wondering if the picture is similar in Canada?

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Your previous thread may be worth re-reading - https://britishexpats.com/forum/cana...r-work-820432/

Sorry, but I don't know about the demand for your kind of role, I just know that teaching isn't really a great job to move to Canada with, but perhaps your specialisms will mean your outlook is different. Hopefully those in the know will be along shortly to give you some advice.

Good luck.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

My ex taught high school equivalency to adult students in suburban Toronto; the students typically had 'multiple barriers to learning'. Since it was here and in French it's not of any direct relevance but; it is true that, here at least, the usual barriers to gaining a teaching position don't apply.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Go online, look for Community Colleges in AB (and BC if you are so interested), and see what they are requesting in job ads.

Most upgrading courses to high school equivalency for adult learners (ie, over 21) is done at these colleges.

In BC, alternative schooling for children in trouble OR those deeply involved in sports such as playing for the local junior hockey team, ballet, music, etc is done by the school board at Alternative Schools usually held in an annex to a high school. Which means it is taught by high school teachers subject to the regulations I described above.

We know several people who teach or who have taught the high school equivalency programmes at Community Colleges in BC, and they have all had either a Masters or PhD before taking the position. However many such positions are only temporary (ie, sessional), and the colleges that teach these programmes may well be away from the big cities.

Only trade teachers seem not to require degrees here.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

It won't be straightforward since college for 16-18 years doesn't exist in Canada as such. They have secondary until 18 years. College is post-secondary: a more technically inclined alternative to University, or sometimes what students do after university since it is more job-oriented. It's not dissimilar to polytechnics. So it is a slightly different system in Canada. That said, do not give up because of that. You fall between categories which means you have a foot in a number of camps. Colleges are starting to employ more PhDs because there is such a surplus of them, but it is not mandatory for a college so you can still apply. It's not easy to get a permanent job there though, but you can still try. Also, they do hire 'sessionals,' so they hire lecturers for individual courses and you can apply for as many as you can handle at as many different colleges as you can handle. It's part-time, but it gets your foot in the door. Your qualifications may well transfer to secondary school teaching. If not, they will probably say you have to do a few top-up courses on a few things they require that you don't happen to have in order to get registered. Don't worry about what you haven't got: they will take what you do have, translate it to their system, and then tell you what else you need to do to get fully qualified. Often you can take these in part-time, summer or evening courses. I'm sure they will tell you what you need. Although it is hard to get a job as a teacher because there is a surplus of people who are qualified, if you are in more rural, less popular areas, it can be easier. Plus, you have a third easier option that you didn't mention, which is second-language teaching. Especially in Vancouver there are a lot of private language colleges for 18+ (think Brighton/London), and I would think you'd be well-qualified there. Although you have TEFL, not TESL, you also have your PGCE so combined they would probably accept that. They are private so don't have requirements like schools do, so you can just send your resume and try your luck. If you're not keen on this long-term, you could always do it for a few years while you top up your qualifications for wherever you do want to be. Lastly, I understand that (at least in Ontario and I assume it'll be the same in Alberta) there are ESL tutors in primary and secondary schools who get hired by a local board of education (so a bunch of schools in one area) and they go around to the local schools during the school day providing extra help to international students in the school system. There are also tutors for special needs students who work in the classroom but are not the main teacher. You sound like you could do either of these. They may require the Canadian PGCE equivalence since it's within the school system, but you could apply with the condition that you would be taking the course top-ups while you are tutoring part time, or something like that. That's IF the Alberta board comes back and says you aren't qualified as a secondary teacher, but they may well say you are, so fingers crossed. What I'm getting at here is that although it is not going to be a straightforward step into the exact same job, you certainly have options with your qualifications so I wouldn't give up hope just because you don't have a PhD for college teaching and may not qualify as a secondary teacher (approx 13-18 years) immediately. There are other options. I hope this helps. Best of luck!

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

As far as Ontario goes, you would be required to obtain Certification if you wanted to teach in any publicly funded school. You could teach in a Private school without certification but may struggle to get hired.

https://www.oct.ca/becoming-a-teache...cated-teachers

Thinking outside of the box, you may want to see which Province has the easiest Certification procedure, obtain Certification in that Province - and then under the Mobility Rules you could then obtain Certification in your Province of choice.

Under the labour mobility provisions of the CFTA, workers who are certified and in good standing in one jurisdiction in Canada can apply to other Canadian jurisdictions where the occupation is regulated without having to re-examine, retrain, retest or have their qualifications reassessed.

You can read more on these links (for Alberta in this case):
https://work.alberta.ca/labour/labou...in-canada.html
https://work.alberta.ca/labour/get-y...ecognized.html


Just a thought! :D

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

The teaching profession can be difficult ..................... if you get certified by the College of Teachers in one province, that certification will be recognised in another BUT you are likely to have to go to the bottom of the seniority listing. That means being put on the Teacher On Call (TOC) list, and teachers may remain on that list unfortunately for years.

We discovered this when my son-i-l looked at moving to BC a few years ago.

This does not occur is if you have been recruited or hired as a result of an advertised position, but then the College has to be satisfied that there is not a member in the province who is just as qualified as the one who is moving.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Canada like most developed countries is self-sufficient in teachers.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Yes, that's a given. I know quite a few cradles with Certification as a teacher, who haven't even tried to move Province, who have been on the stand by temp list for years.

However, this was about initial Certification as an Internationally Trained Teacher and the potential to obtain it in one Province and then move to the one where you actually hope to permanently reside. Not about just moving for the sake of it, lol. The OP will likely need Certification to even obtain a job in his chosen profession and some Provinces are sometimes a little easier to apply to than others.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Yes, and going to the bottom of seniority means being the first on the list to go if any redundancies are made, so even if the teacher only has a few years of seniority, it's still a safer place than moving and being at the bottom of the seniority list. The same applies to moving to a new board of education within the same province. So it's best to go where you want to be, get whatever you are currently qualified for such as a teaching assistant or second-language teacher in a private language institute, and then take whatever courses they say you need to get certified as a full teacher in that place and work your way up.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Thanks Anya, that's really helpful.

I have seen lots of posts advertised at colleges that would be of interest to me. Teaching GED courses looks interesting as does foundation skills. I don't want to work in schools and never have! I am hoping I don't have to do a school teaching qualification just to be able to teach adults! I only work in 16-18 college here in UK because the adult ed sector has all but vanished due to funding cutbacks. Previously I taught adults.

I have taught EFL and ESL overseas and in UK, although that was at the start of my teaching career. Perhaps I should refresh my skills in that area if there's demand for them in Canada.

I was interested to read about course top-ups, I'll do a bit of research on them.
Thanks again for your extensive and helpful response :-)

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Thanks to all for your replies.

I think I should clarify my original post..

I am not a school teacher and don't want to be a school teacher in Canada.

I teach adults and post-16s.

Does anyone know which qualifications are usually required to teach in colleges (not schools)? Am I likely to need QTLS?

Thanks! :)

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Post 18 year olds here, unless you were giving private lessons - they are still in mainstream school til then.


I'm not sure that most Canadian Provincial Licensing bodies would know what QTLS is!


I would suggest getting in touch with one of the College Lecturers Associations and see if they can advise you as to what qualification/ Provincial Certification you will need in order to teach in a post-secondary situation - or look at college jobs and see what they require. You may find you need your CSQ in order to teach unless it's private lessons or in a private college somewhere.


There's links to a lot of them here: https://qufa.ca/faculty-associations...organizations/

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Siouxie thanks for this list! I will crack on and contact a few of these.

No one knows (or cares) what QTLS is in the UK either, which is why I haven't bothered with it, in common with most college lecturers!

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

I gave you information on this in an earlier post!

Upgrading of skills for people who did not graduate from high school takes place after age 21 in a college ........ academic subjects need academic training in that subject, eg math, english, sciences, etc. I know several friends and contacts who teach in this area in colleges, all have at least a Masters degree, most have a PhD.

Technical skills training in colleges, ie, trades, requires teachers who have themselves skills in those trades, ie passed apprenticeship and worked in the trade for many years.

The colleges in BC are usually much more academic or trades oriented than what you seem to be trained in ............. students in more isolated areas of the province will attend a college to do the first 2 years for a degree then transfer to one of the universities or do pre-apprenticeship and apprentice programmes.

ESL for people not in the public high school system (ie over 18) is taught in private colleges ................ I know nothing about the qualifications required, though they sometimes seem to advertise for locals to help by participating in conversational groups. I do gather from media reports that pay for the teachers in these colleges can be low in spite of the extremely high fees charged by the owners, and such colleges also seem to shut down suddenly, leaving everyone dangling.

Most of the funding for ESL teaching to adults (largely to immigrants and refugees) in BC colleges was cut completely a few years ago and has not been fully replaced. Only a few "public"colleges have any form of such programmes, including 2 in Vancouver. The programmes are largely taught by sessional lecturers.

I quite honestly have not heard of any programmes such as you describe as being available in BC .............. basically the public school system is responsible for teaching all children between the ages of 5 and 19, after 19 they and their parents are on their own no matter what further help might be needed.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

IKEA delivery is fairly recent in Canada ........ I've only seen them advertising it from our local store in the last 12-18 months. Before that it was order and pick up at the store.

But be warned ............. the delivery charge can be big.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Hi Mogscat. I think you may have missed my post on your other thread where I answered this. I'll paste it here along with a few further clarifications:

A college lecturer in Canada is an academic position, very similar to a university lecturer, except that colleges are for more technical career-specific subjects. It is for students aged 19+ (or adults who already have a university degree). You will not need a PGCE or QTLS to lecture at a college, but you will need a PhD unless your subject is very technical, like computer animation for example. I noticed you have a BA in English, so if English is your subject (that's mine too), you will definitely need a PhD and be aware that there are usually 800+ fully qualified candidates all with PhDs applying to each job so getting a full-time position is next to impossible even if you have the PhD. If you specialise in a more technical subject, then you may not need it. However, here's some info just in case it helps.

The best place to look for jobs is on a college's own website, but there are a few websites where they advertise so you can also watch these: https://jobs.collegesinstitutes.ca, https://www.higheredjobs.com, https://www.academicacareers.com, https://www.academicwork.ca, https://accute.ca/category/job-postings/.

If English is your subject, I don't see any being advertised at the moment, but here is an example ad from one that has gone past. It is for a lecturer in English in a college in Alberta: https://jobs.collegesinstitutes.ca/j...l-education-3/

As you can see from that ad, unless you have a PhD and have written a lot of books on your subject, you will struggle to get a college job in Canada. You may be able to pick up some part-time sessional work, but I’m not sure. There are too many PhDs out there who can't get jobs in colleges and universities so the market is flooded raising the bar quite high.

But remember that secondary in Canada is age 14-18 so it's not light years away from the age range you've been teaching already, 16-18. And secondary teaching is a very good job in Canada though it is also very hard to get. The market is also flooded, but at least you have a PGCE, so you are part-way to qualifying for that. You would likely have to take more courses to get fully qualified; the licensing bureau in your chosen province will tell you what you need on top of what you already have. As I mentioned, you could work as a teaching assistant with special needs children or jobs like that though. Others can advise better on this.

As I mentioned, ESL teaching is usually young adults and you would probably be considered qualified, though it is true, as Scilly said, that it isn't as well paid as secondary school and some of the language institutes aren't so stable. But I think the jobs are not quite as hard to get as secondary or college (at least they were easier 20 years ago when I worked in ESL), so it may still be worth looking into at least as a stepping stone to help with your move if you don't qualify for other teaching streams.

So to clarify qualifications needed (if English is your subject):

College lecturing (19+): PhD and books written and published in your subject

Secondary (14-18): PGCE and apply to the licensing bureau in your province. They will tell you if you qualify and, if you don't, they should tell you what else you need to do to qualify, probably top-up courses. (Others can advise better on this)

ESL in private language institutes (19+): TESL (a 2-year degree on top of your BA), but if you have a TEFL, a PGCE and experience, they may well accept that.

I have taught English at primary, secondary, college, university and ESL at private language schools, and am familiar with both Canadian and British systems. If you want to pm me, please feel free. I'm happy to help.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Hi Anya

If I need a PhD and published academic works then I give up! I will have to either start a new career or stay here.

The English I teach is not remotely academic. I currently teach GCSE re-sits as this is a new government requirement for 16-19s here, but on my PGCE I specialised in Adult Literacy i.e. teaching people (adults) who in many cases can't read or write to any functional level. I've also taught maths at that level. I haven't noticed any of the job ads for similar positions in Canada specifying PhD but I take your word for it.

I am the only breadwinner for a family of four and couldn't possibly take the time and expense of a PhD, even if I could get accepted to do one which almost 30 years after graduating I very much doubt.

I have never taught children and don't wish to switch to that age group. I can't see myself working with special needs kids in schools as a learning support. I don't have the skills or the experience.

Feeling very disheartened.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

They do have adult learning classes here in Ontario - some run via the public education system / libraries / organisations etc .. so if you could see yourself getting your Provincial teaching certification for Ontario or similar perhaps, it could open a few doors for you.. but regardless, there are potential jobs for you. Here's some examples.. if you put in a google search for Adult Learning or Adult Literacy plus the Province of choice, I think you'll find quite a few different options... plus there's a big thing going regarding adult literacy in native American populations too.. (see the news story below)

:)

Don't give up!! There are many organisations you could get in touch with to see if your skills and experience would get you in the door!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/londo...racy-1.4165031


https://www.google.ca/search?cr=coun....0.gaYxii0lN7Y

Adult Learning | Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
Hamilton Literacy Council
https://www.ontario.ca/page/adult-learning
http://www.literacybc.ca/
http://advancededucation.alberta.ca/...nity/programs/

Get your TESL too - there are jobs available (look also at the bottom of the page) .. https://ca.indeed.com/cmp/LSBF-Canad...Literacy&vjs=3

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Hi Mogscat,

Sorry; I didn't mean to dishearten you. Luckily, I can see now that we're talking about different subjects. I teach English literature. A college in Canada is more like the old polytechnics or post 70s universities in Britain. So that's why English literature is an academic subject that requires a PhD at college. Colleges in the UK and Canada use the same word for their name, but they are not the same thing.

I don't know much about teaching functional adult literacy and numeracy, but you're right that it's unlikely to require a PhD. I'm sure there is need for your skills and qualifications as they already exist. You could ask at colleges, but it probably isn't the only place to look for those jobs. As Siouxie says, I would do some research to find different places where they teach it. I think you have a foot in a lot of camps with your qualifications and experience since you straddle various parts of the Canadian education system and your skills are needed by a lot of different types of people. I would think you'd be well-qualified for a lot of different kinds of jobs. You just need to find out where those jobs are. College may be one place, but it won't be the only place.

I think Siouxie's advice with all of those links of places to try is perfect. It shows the variety of places you could work. She's absolutely right about the drive in teaching literacy in indigenous populations. There are some big reserves in Alberta too, so maybe that's a good avenue to try? I have no idea where you go to get jobs like that (government drives, depts of education?), but I suspect there's a lot of call for it right now. So maybe a few calls or emails to various places asking for advice on where your skills would be needed would help you find those jobs. Even try a head of dept at a college and just explain what your skills are and what you want to teach; they may know where you should go to find those jobs.

I would think you are already well-qualified to teach in language colleges, so maybe try there too? In places where there is a lot of migration, there will always be need for literacy teaching, so there will be lots of avenues at your disposal!

Good luck. I'm sorry I couldn't help more. I guess my subject is a bit different from yours. But I am certain there will be good jobs out there if you look around and think creatively about where you can do what you do. Best of luck. Anya.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

re teaching literacy to Indigenous peoples.

I have seen a few ads for these in local BC newspapers, BUT they all seem to want to hire people "preferably" with Indigenous connections ............ so that could be a big hurdle.

I don't know whether that is the case in other provinces.

Having said that, non-Indigenous teachers still manage to get jobs on reserves ............. although one friend's experience in BC was a non-renewal of contract when an Indigenous person became available.

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Quick update for anyone looking at the thread trying to find out more about quals in this area!

I just had my letter from Alberta Education regarding my qualifications. Getting a response has taken almost a year. In the interim I was just getting responses along the lines of 'as there's no precedent we are still doing research'.

They only consider qualifications with QTS. Even then, if you have PGCE with QTS you will not be allowed to teach in schools or other centres offering school-style qualivications. This means you cannot teach high school upgrading courses to over-18s either, including those offered in non-school settings.

The British PGCE with QTS does not qualify you because it is a one year course and you are therefore '18 courses short' of the equivalent in Alberta, which takes two years f/t.

The outcome for me as with PGCE PCET and 14 years' experience? I would have to do the BEd in Alberta. Not the one-year 'Bridge to Teaching' or any other top-up course. I would have to do the full time two year BEd for graduates alongside those who have not taught before. As my degree is single hons, I would also have to do some extra degree credits in order to qualifiy for the 2+ teachable subjects requirement.

Hope this proves useful to someone and helps save another person waiting so long to find this out!

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Don't forget that each Province has different requirements for granting of teaching certificates to internationally trained teachers. One thing that tends to be repeated though is that a PGCE may not be sufficient to obtain a teaching certificate to enable you to teach in the public school system, from what I have read. It's always best to check the individual requirements before going through the lengthy process to become certified to teach here. For example: https://www.oct.ca/faqs/applying-for...o-i-need-to-do
https://www.oct.ca/becoming-a-teacher/internationally-educated-teachers/country-info/country-e/country-england-united-kingdom
https://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/T...Graduates.aspx
( you can also do a google search for 'internationally trained teacher PGCE' + the Province name :) )
Also consider Private schools.. who don't necessarily have the same requirements.
More info can be found here - together with links to each Provincial body

https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Teaching_in_Canada

Re: UK teaching quals in Canada
 

Some provinces give more info than others. The Ontario site is pretty comprehensive, however Alberta Education's website lists a few teaching quals they do not accept but they do not mention the fact that they don't accept any PGCEs including PGCE with QTS. That they then charge you a couple of hundred CAD and keep you waiting almost a year to tell you this is in my view pretty awful. A simple line to this effect on their website would save the majority of UK trained teachers a lot of time and money.